By Xing Zhijie

From 16th to 18th November, ‘Opportunities in China – Global Multinational Executives Visit Jiangsu’ event was held in Nantong. Senior executives of multinational companies from countries including Britain, Sweden, Belgium and Greece came to Nantong, to experience the vibrant energy of fields such as shipbuilding and marine engineering, new energy, new materials, and biological medicine.

At the port of Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering Co., Ltd., Nikolaos Pitsuuris from Greece said that as a country that had a vast shipbuilding industry system in the past, Greece is now making every effort to revitalize the shipbuilding industry. The Nantong trip let him see the infinite possibilities of shipbuilding and marine engineering development. ‘I will bring what I see and hear in Nantong back home, introduce relevant Greek companies to China to seek cooperation. I hope to integrate the creativity here with our demands, to change the world together.’

Arriving at the north of Chongchuan District, in the Planning Exhibition Hall of the Shibei High-tech Industrial Development Zone, the blueprint for the integrated development of the ‘3+1’ industries, consisting of integrated circuits, automotive electronics, life and health, and modern service industries, was clearly outlined.

Ashutosh Tiwari, the Director of the Institute of Advanced Materials and the Secretary-General of the International Association of Advanced Materials in Sweden, was very excited, ‘we greatly hope to cooperate with the local government and work together for sustainable development and for the advancement of low-carbon industries.’

Walking into the assembly workshop of Rugao Scania Manufacturing (China) Co., Ltd., a robotic arm was precisely docking with the vehicle frame components. It is the third industrial production base of Scania in the world. ‘From land acquisition to project registration, the efficient and streamlined process made us deeply appreciate the government's support.’ Amanda Liu, Head of Communications of the Industrial Operations Asia of Scania, said that the good business environment attracted the company to develop in Nantong.

From Native American eagle feather hats to ancient Chinese silver-inlaid kingfisher feather seven-phoenix crowns, and European top hats, nearly a thousand hats from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, at the Foremost Hats Museum, sparked lively conversations among the guests. Jean-Marc Degrave from Belgium remarked, ‘Although I’ve only been in China for a few days, I already feel like I’m half Chinese. The culture here deeply attracts me. China’s development has its unique philosophy. In the future, China should not only develop industry but also tourism, allowing more people from around the world to come to China, understand China, and fall in love with China.’

【背景阅读】

一批跨国企业高管走进南通

11月16日至18日，“机遇中国——全球跨国企业高管看江苏”活动在南通举行，来自英国、瑞典、比利时、希腊等国的跨国企业高管来到南通，感受船舶海工、新能源、新材料、生物医药等领域的澎湃活力。

在南通中集太平洋海洋工程有限公司码头上，来自希腊的尼古拉奥斯·皮特苏里斯感慨道，希腊作为过去曾拥有庞大船舶工业体系的国家，如今正在全力重振造船业，这次南通之行让他看到船舶海工发展的无限可能，“我将把在南通的所见所闻带回去，介绍希腊相关企业来中国寻求合作，希望将这里的创造力与我们的需求相结合，共同改变世界。”

来到崇川区北部，市北高新技术产业开发区展示规划馆内，集成电路、汽车电子、生命健康、现代服务业组成的“3+1”产业协同发展蓝图脉络清晰。

瑞典先进材料研究所主任、先进材料协会秘书长阿舒托什·蒂瓦里倍感振奋：“我们非常希望与当地政府合作，共同为可持续发展而努力，为低碳产业而努力。”

走进如皋斯堪尼亚制造（中国）有限公司的总装车间，机械臂正精准对接车架部件。这是斯堪尼亚布局全球第三个工业生产基地。“从拿地到项目备案，高效畅通的流程让我们深切感受到了政府的支持。”斯堪尼亚亚洲工业运营信息传播部总监Amanda Liu坦言，良好的营商环境吸引公司布局南通。

从印第安鹰羽帽，到中国古代银点翠七凤冠，再到欧洲礼帽，在富美帽饰博物馆中，近千件古今中外帽饰藏品打开了宾客双方交流的话匣子。来自比利时的让-马克·德格雷夫表示，“虽然才来中国几天，但我觉得自己已经是半个中国人了，这里的文化深深吸引着我。中国的发展有其独特哲学，未来不仅要发展工业，更要发展旅游业，让世界上更多人来到中国、了解中国、爱上中国。”